Asclepias phytolaccoides Pursh
Asclepias exaltata L.
Poke milkweed, tall milkweed
Poke milkweed is a North American native plant.
Plants: 2–6′ (60–182 cm) in height, with one to three stems per plant. Stems are often dark greenish purple.
Leaves: Opposite, narrow, elliptic, with petioles (stems) 1–3″ (2.5–7.6 cm) long. They have smooth tops and fuzzy undersides, and are 3–8 ⨉ 1–3″ (7.6–20 ⨉ 2.5–7.6 cm). Leaf veins often have a tinge of purple.
Flowers: White, about ⅜″ (9.5 mm) around, with tinges of green or lavender colors, appearing as umbels that hang downward on greenish or purplish stems. Each umbel has about ten flowers, and each stem has one to six umbels. They appear from July to August.
Fruits: Seed pods are 4–6″ (10–15 cm) long, and narrower than those of common milkweed.
Habitats: Wooded areas, woodland edges, shores.
See J. S. Pippen’s site at Duke University for a milkweed comparison chart.
Edibility: Mildly toxic in large quantities, due to the presence of cardiac glycosides.
Online References:
Asclepias bicknellii Vail
Asclepias phytolaccoides Pursh
Asclepias phytolaccoides Pursh
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 8″ (16 × 20 cm) 
7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm) 
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm) 
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm) 
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.2 × 13 cm) 
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm) 
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) 
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) 
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm) 
7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 3½ × 3½″ (9.4 × 8.7 cm) 
6/27/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 
7/2/2014 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) 
7/4/2017 · Kibby Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) 
7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Gentianales | Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others |
| Family | Asclepiadaceae | Includes some herbs, twining shrubs, lianas, leafless stem succulents, rarely trees |
| Genus | Asclepias | For Asklepios, the Greek god of healing |
| Species | exaltata | “Very tall, lofty” |
Asclepias exaltata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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